Should Latin America End the War on Drugs?

Introduction

Bernandino Hernandez/Associated PressA woman grieves next to bodies of men who were shot to death by drug gangs in Acapulco, Mexico.

After decades of war with drug cartels, Latin America faces sickening levels of violence and corruption that have spread throughout the region. In Honduras, the United States has pledged to intensify the fight, despite the anger of residents caught in the crossfire and the growing frustration of regional leaders. At a summit meeting of Western Hemisphere leaders in Cartagena, Colombia, last month, several leaders urged that there be a wide-ranging discussion that even considered drug legalization as an alternative to the militarized war on drugs.

Is it it time for Latin America and the United States to abandon the war on drugs and deal with the issue as a matter of public health rather than combat?